Velocipede.



No. 808,616. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905.

IE'. M. THOMPSON.

v VELOCIPEDE.

APPLICATION FILED IBB.18, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

3v Q m Fran/76 ATTORNEYS N0.8O8,O16. PATENTBD DBO.26,19O5. F. M. THOMPSON.

VELOCIPEDE.

APPLICATION FILED 313.18. i905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/T/VESSES: /Nl/E/VTOR ATTORNEYS i drawn through the seat ofthe sulky, and Fig.

UNITE STATES FRANK M. THOMPSON,

garnant rrion'.

OF EAST LIVERPOOL, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- VELOCIPEDE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application lilerl February 18, 1905. Serial llor 246,237.

T0 a/ZZ whom, t Wbfty concern/ Be it known that I, FRANK M. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Liverpool, in the county of Columbiana and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Velocipedes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in velocipedes, and relates especially to that class of such devices which is represented in my former patent, No. 783,912, dated February 28, 1905.

The present invention has for an object, among others, to provide for excluding the connections between the front and rear legs from view and for supporting the front of the sulky in such manner as to relieve the strain of such support from the imitation ligure of a horse and to provide for a spring connection between the upper and lower leg-sections and for an adjustable seat for the sulliy; and the present invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side view of a velocipede embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of an imitation horse. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section 4 is a cross-section on about line 4 4 of Fig'. l, on a somewhat reduced scale.

The sulliy has its axle A provided with cranks B, which are connected by pitmen O with treadles D, pivoted at their' upper ends in connection with the sulky in advance of the seat E, the latter being slotted at E in direction of length of the sully, and the seatfastening bolts E2 being passed through the slot E', so the seat can be adjusted back and forth to suit the size of the rider. It will be understood that as the treadles are operated the sulky will be propelled.

The imitation ligure of a horse F is supported between the shafts G of the sulky and is made hollow to receive certain parts presently described, and the steering-wheel H has its shaft H journaled vertically in the figure of the horse and preferably within a sleeve I, arranged within the horse, and having flanges I at its opposite ends to form a broad bearing against the upper and lower portions of the hollow shell, such flanges I being preferably formed on collars I2, secured upon the sleeve I, as will be understood from Fig. 2 of the drawings. To brace the figure of the horse and to relieve the latter as far as possible from the strain of the steering-shaft, I provide a brace-frame connecting the shaft of the steering-wheel above and below'the y figure of the horse with the shafts Gr of the sulky. This frame extends around the outer side of the figure F and preferably comprises upper and lower bars J j Jj. The bars J j extend forwardly at an incline to their juncture at J2 with the shafts Gr, and the bars J and j extend rearwardly at an incline to their junctureJ2 with the shafts, the frame being thus connected in front and rear of a crosssectional line drawn through the horse and which would intersect the shaft H. I thus provide a strong frame for supporting-the steering shaft directly from the shafts of the sulky. Driving-lines may be connected with a cross-bar I2 at the upper end of the shafts, (see Fig. 4,) and the lines may extend thence to thel head of the horse, as shown in Fig. 1. The legs of the horse are composed of upper and lower sections K, K',L, and L. the upper sections being pivoted at K2 and L2 to the body of the figure, and the lower sections being pivoted at their upper ends at K3 and L3 to the lower ends of the upper sections. Spring-bars K4 and L4 are secured at K2 and L5 to one of the leg-sections and slide at K2 and L2 in connection with the other legsection, as best shown in Fig. 2, and in such manner that the leg-sections will be held normally straight, will be returned when free to the straight position, and yet may be moved to give the desired action to the horse by the means presently described. The upper legsections have a limited movement on their pivots K2 and L2, stop devices being provided at 7c and Z to limit the movement of the said sections, so that when they have been moved by the operating devices to their full extent the lower leg-sections will be given a further movement to secure the desired action.

In constructing the imitation of ahorse it is important to hide as far as possible all the operating devices for producing the simulated action of the horse, whether it be pacing or trotting, and to this end I make the 'gure of the horse hollow and providey the front and rear levers M and N, which are pivoted at M and N within the body of the horse concentric with the pivots K2 and L2 and have their upper ends or arms connected by the bars O and their lower ends slidably connected at M2 and N2 with the lower front and rear leg-sections.

IOO

The bars O may connect the front and rear levers on the same side of the horse to give a pacing action, or may be crossed in securing a trotting action as desired. The rear levers M have their lower arms connected by pitmen P with the treadles D, so that the levers M and N will be operated in working the velocipede.

As shown in Fig. l, I am able to dispense with all exterior or exposed connections between the front and rear legs of the figure of the horse and to secure the action of the front and rear legs in a manner closely simulating nature.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

vl. The com bination in an apparatus substantially as described of the sulky having a crankaxle and the shafts, the imitation horse secured between the shafts and having a hollow body and front and rear legs composed cach lof upper sections pivoted 'at their upper ends to the body and lower sections pivoted at their upper ends to the lower ends of the upper sections, springs extending across the joint between the upper and lower leg-sections and connected with said leg-sections, levers pivoted between their ends concentric with the pivotal connections of the upper leg-sections with the body and having their upper arms extended into the body of the horse, rods connecting the upper ends ofthe front and rear levers and extending within the body of the horse, the steering-wheel, and the bracingframe connected with the shaft of the steering-wheel and extending around the body of the horse and secured between its ends to the shafts of the sulky, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the sulky-shafts and the steering-wheel, of the imitation ligure secured between the shafts and the bracingframe connected between its ends with the shafts and extending around the body of the l l i ligure and connected with the steering-wheel, substantially as set forth.

8. rlhe combination with theimitation ligure and the sully-shafts of the steering-wheel having its shaft journaled vertically in the ligure, and the bracing-frame connected with said steering-shaft above and below the ligure and secured between its ends to the sulky-shafts, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the sulky-shafts and the figure secured between said shafts, the steering-wheel shaft journaled in the ligure, the bracing-frame secured to said steeringshaft above and below the ligure and extending around said figure and having front and rear bars inclined, respectively, forwardly and rearwardly to their juncture with the sulkyshafts and secured to the shafts, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of hollow imitation ligure, shaft extending through the said ligure, the sleeve on said shaft within the ligure and bearing at its ends against the upper and lower walls thereof, and the bracing-frame connected with the steering-shaft above and below the ligure and extending` around the latter and secured to the sulky-shafts, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the imitation figure having a body and legs composed of upper sections pivoted to the body and lower sections pivoted to the upper sections, levers pivoted between their ends and extending downwardly past the joint between the leg-sections and having their lower ends connected with the lower leg-sections, connections between the upper ends of said levers, and means for operating the levers, substantially as set forth.

FRANK M. THOMPSON.

the sulky-shafts, the the steeringwheel vlllitnesses:

C. W. POWELL, JAs. N. Rosn. 

